The Bet
by wandaf
Summary: Harry and Draco have a bet...Ginny gets stuck in the middle.
1. Default Chapter

Chapter One

The duel was going well. Spells and incantations were being slung back and forth with ease. The two young men on the dais were in their element. Professor Snape watched them with a critical eye. He thought they appeared to be rather enjoying themselves. The other students certainly were as they cheered for their housemates and jeered for their rivals.

The tall, dark-haired lad, Harry Potter, sent a Blasting Curse hurling at his silvery-blond opponent. Draco Malfoy laughed and nimbly stepped aside with a verbal "Extistingio"…the stinging spell hit Harry but didn't seem to have much of an effect on him.

"What was that? A simple stinging spell, Malfoy? You are slipping up in your old age." Harry laughed and hurled a putrid smelly curse at Draco, who was the 'old age' of seventeen. The blast of pea green mist almost knocked him down. However, Harry winced in pain as a second, stronger sting zipped up his wand arm, surprising him.

"Potty, what have you been eating?" Draco wafted a hand in front of his face, sneering, "Oh, and how did you like that second jolt from my stinging spell?"

The dueling continued but each time Harry used his wand to cast a spell towards Draco another stinging pain ricocheted up his arm , each one more intense than the one before it. When it was obvious that Draco's spell was getting the better of Harry, Prof. Snape ended the duel with a smug announcement that Draco was the winner of the battle.

The Slytherin students all patted Draco heartily on the back and laughed at the Gryffindor's obviously downtrodden expressions. Hermione and Ron told Harry not to worry about it; he would get Malfoy next time. Harry was rubbing his sore arm and looking a bit dazed as class was being dismissed. Draco, of course, just looked victorious, smirking from ear to ear when he sauntered out of the classroom in front of them.

The next morning, Harry's arm was still smarting from the duel the day before. They had a quidditch match that afternoon against Slytherin and it was worrying him. He needed his arm to catch the golden snitch. Draco was the Slytherin's seeker and his biggest competition in the school league. Harry tried not to rub his arm in front of anyone during classes. He didn't want to let word get to Malfoy that he was still feeling the effects of his spell. He didn't need to give the Slytherin's any upper hand during the match.

Later that afternoon, Harry went out to the quidditch pitch early to practice. His arm was feeling better and he was zipping through the air with ease on his Firebolt. It was a clear day with only a few fluffy white clouds dotting the sky here and there. The stands were empty, except for one spectator. He gave a friendly wave to Ginny Weasley and took off for a low rolling dive. Ginny stared wistfully at Harry. He made the game look so easy. She never missed a chance to watch him play. She never missed a chance to watch him at all. She was one year younger than Harry. Her brother, Ron, was Harry's best friend. She, unfortunately, was only thought of as the 'little sister'. Harry had saved her life her first year at Hogwarts, but it wasn't anything romantic for him. Just another day's work for the esteemed Harry Potter. For her though, it deepened her crush on him. Lately, it was more like a crash than a crush. She was 16 years old now and she desperately wanted Harry to notice her as a girl. When he waved at her a second ago, her heart was pounding so hard in her chest, she figured he could hear it out on the field. But as usual, he didn't fly right over to her, pick her off of the stands, and carry her away to ravish her. She giggled out loud at the mental picture.

"Yeah, he is pretty funny, isn't he? Thinking he can play quidditch."

Ginny turned quickly in her seat to see Draco Malfoy standing right behind her. He was in his playing uniform: long emerald robe with silver trim, the Slytherin serpent crest on his left breast, and his broom in hand. His long blond hair was hanging in front of his face and he pushed it back without realizing it. He wasn't looking at her though, he was watching Harry dodging and dipping in the air above the field.

"He's the best player I've ever seen." Ginny simply said and turned back around in her seat.

"Don't tell him I said so, but I almost agree with you." Ginny practically got whiplash turning back around to look at him at those surprising words. He just flashed her a wicked grin and then jumped down out of the stands towards his team's locker room.

Oh my god, Ginny thought to herself. Did Draco Malfoy just pay Harry Potter a compliment? She had a strong urge to shield herself because surely the sky was falling. Draco was feeling pretty much the same way as he entered the room and plopped down on a bench. Why did that pop out of his mouth? And in front of a Weasley no less. Okay, so she was the prettiest Weasley, but that wasn't saying much compared to that ugly lot. He must have flubberworms for brains.

Later that day, the crowd in the stands was on its feet. The score was tied. Harry just missed a bludger that Gregory Goyle aimed in his direction. It missed Harry at the last moment and took off after Vincent Crabbe. No time for celebrating though. Harry just saw the little golden snitch and it was right behind Draco Malfoy's back. Harry knew if Malfoy saw it, that the game would be over, with Gryffindor the losers.

No way was that going to happen after his loss in the dueling club the day before! Harry dived down low, keeping an eye on the snitch the whole while. He didn't want Malfoy to suspect the snitch was anywhere in his proximity. Harry was still 20 yards away when the fluttering of the snitches wings finally got Draco's attention. He reached behind him but the snitch was too fast and darted just out of his reach. He turned his broom around 180 degrees and lunged for the snitch. Harry zoomed up and grabbed it a split second before Malfoy got his hand around it. Harry held it up for all to see and the Gryffindors went crazy in the stands! Draco sat on his broomstick high above watching the jubilation below. He couldn't believe he missed that snitch! It was basically in his grasp when Potter came out of nowhere and palmed it. He shook his head to clear his thoughts and with one last look at the celebrating below took off on his Nimbus 2001and headed to the Lake.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Potions class was one of Draco's favorites. Prof. Snape was the head of Slytherin house and as the potion's teacher; he gave them a lot of slack. It, however, was one of Harry's least favorite classes. Every year the Gryffindors and Slytherins were in the class together. Snape seemed to have a particular dislike of Harry and took every opportunity to show it. Just like today. Harry entered a bit late, Colin Creevey was harassing him about some pictures he took at the quidditch match yesterday. He just couldn't shake the kid and it caused him to be a smidgeon tardy. He tried his best to sneak in undetected but of course, that didn't work.

"Well, well, _Mr. Potter _decided to join us, class. Everyone please make note of the entrance of the illustrious Harry Potter. All bow please." Snape gave a contemptuous little bow and the Slytherin students followed suit.

"Have a seat there by Mr. Malfoy. Maybe he will be able to teach you something today, since he is far superior to you in potions. Oh, and ten points from Gryffindor of course" Snape pointed a long sallow finger at the empty chair to Malfoy's left. Crabbe usually occupied the position. One glance to Draco's right at Goyle and Harry decided that maybe he had ate him.

"What kept you, Potter? Someone use a stinging spell on you?" Draco sneered, elbowing Goyle.

"No, I was just signing photos of my superior catch of the snitch yesterday for a few fans."

Draco actually laughed at that and Harry raised an eyebrow at him but didn't say anything else as Prof. Snape began the days lecture. It appeared they were going to be talking about love potions today.

"Love potions are strictly against Hogwart's rules, but they are rather common in the wizarding world, of course. Most of the time though, the one who uses it on another ends up unhappy with the results. After a while, it dawns on you that they don't _really _love you at all. This is where the Scintillating Solution comes into play. If you need to break a love potion, you must use a scintillating solution to counteract it. Today we will be making this solution." Snape rattled off the ingredients and the students got to work.

"You better take note, Potty. I would imagine you will be using lots of Love Potion in your future." Draco said with his usual sneer.

"Yeah right, Malfoy. I could have any girl I want. Girls love guys with mysterious scars."

Malfoy choked down a laugh and almost spilled his lilylivers. "Not when it's covered by a mess of a black mop!"

"Like you would know anything about love, Malfoy…unless you count Pansy." Both boys looked over at Pansy Parkinson. She looked exactly like a pug and she blew a kiss at Draco when she saw him looking at her.

Draco shivered and said, "I will have you know I could have any girl in this school. I could make anyone fall in love with me. Just look at me!"

Harry eyed Draco's long silvery-blond hair and gray eyes. He didn't see anything too impressive there. "Yeah, right. Any girl, aye?"

Draco leaned back in his chair with his hand entwined behind his head and repeated "Any girl."

Harry's green eyes lit up with a mischievous spark. "Okay, let's put your money where your pointy mouth is. I would bet against it."

"Oh really, well then, what are the stakes, Rotter?" Draco sat up in his chair with an arrogant grin.

Harry thought for a second and then replied, "If you fail, which you will being the ugly Malfoy git that you are, you have to wait on me hand and foot for two weeks."

Draco did laugh this time, "Like that would ever happen. I have quite a pull with the ladies. Let's see, when I win, and I will since I am the best looking guy in the school…you have to…hmmm….you have to be my house elf for two weeks. That even includes the towel for attire. Fitting since you saw fit to trick my Father into releasing Dobby."

Harry wasn't too worried about losing, good thing- since he didn't think the towel for his sole source of clothing would impress his teachers much. "Alright, seems we have a bet. Now we just have to pick your unlucky victim."

"You mean the luckiest girl in the world."

Harry rolled his eyes, "Yeah, that's what I meant alright."

"How about Millicent?" Draco asked. Harry looked over at the Slytherin girl and was reminded again of an old hag.

"I wouldn't even do that to her." Harry said with a shutter.

"Well, then, how do we pick the lucky winner of this fine specimen?" Draco asked, but then he answered his own question, "I know! I'll drop my personal notebook in the hallway when we leave this class and the first girl to bring it to me is the one that I will woo and make fall in love with me….then dump her like a nasty boogie, of course."

Harry looked doubtful but agreed, "How long should this take you? This impossible 'wooing' of one of our fine young ladies?"

Draco smiled, "Well, I could probably have her eating out of the palm of my hand in five minutes if I turn the charm on. But, I don't want to make it too easy. How about a month?"

Harry looked thoughtful for a minute, "That'll work, that means it will be over with right at Christmas. Perfect time to have a slave around to cater to my every need. Better tell your Mum you won't be home for the holidays."

Draco just jeered at Harry and said they'd see at the end of the month. He added that neither of them could tell the girl, of course, or the tattler would automatically forfeit the bet.

Harry nodded in agreement and made his own addition to the rules, "Oh, and no love potions, Draco. No magic at all."

Draco smiled evilly, "Don't worry; I won't be needing any magic."

Potter laughed this time. What a vain git!

Right after class, Harry followed Draco out of class and watched as he dropped his notebook in the middle of the floor. They both stood back on opposite sides of the hall and waited for someone to pick it up. Students kept kicking it around. First, Lavender Brown's shoe shoved it down the hall, and then Blaise Zambini sent it scooting further down the corridor. Draco sat down on his hunches just in time to catch a glimpse of someone bending down and picking it up. He couldn't see who it was though. He stood up and saw Potter shaking his head "No, no, no!" at him while motioning that the bet was off.

Draco finally saw who had picked up his book and gave a wicked grin, and mouthed 'Yes, yes, yes!" Potter looked really upset, this was going to be fun.

Ginny saw the item from some distance away. No one else seemed to be paying it any attention. It looked like a muggle wallet; her father would be ecstatic. When she got closer, it was actually a small notebook. She bent down and picked it up. It had a fine black leather cover, with an emerald snake embroidered on it. She knew it belonged to Malfoy. She had seen him scribbling things down in it when he wanted to make sure he tattled some tidbit of information to his father or Snape.

She started to toss it back down onto the floor, but against her better judgment decided to return it to him. He did, after all, pay Harry a compliment yesterday, and seemed almost human doing it. She supposed she could do the grown up thing and give him back his tattletale book.

Hmm, there he was at the end of hall. She could see his hair shimmering in the candlelight that lit up the corridor. She followed the flow of students moving to their classes patiently. No reason to hurry when one was just going to the lion's den.

She walked up to him and wondered at his silly grin. What was that all about? He looked like Crookshanks after she ate a big rat.

"Here, Malfoy. I think this belongs to you. I found it lying at the other end of the hallway. I didn't steal it from you so don't start with your petty accusations. I just found it and thought I would be nice and return it…" What was she doing? Just shut up, Ginny, she thought to herself. Who cares what he thinks anyway, and besides, he hadn't even said a word yet.

"Hey, thanks…ummm…its Ginny right? That was quite nice of you to return my book. How bout I walk you to your next class to show my appreciation?" Without waiting for a 'yea' or 'nay', Draco put his hand on her back and started moving her out of the hallway. He looked back at Potter and puckered his lips at the back of Ginny's head and made kissing motions. He mouthed, "This is going to be fun, thanks Potter!"

Harry tried to reach them, but Malfoy was too fast. What had he done? Ron was going to flip his freaking wig! And poor Ginny!


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Ginny was propelled by Draco's hand on her back. They were moving along the corridor and people were staring at them. She was blushing redder than her hair. She was pretty sure his handprint was burning through her school robe and was going to be permanently etched into her flesh. It felt like a hot poker.

"Stop. Malfoy, stop… please." She urgently whispered in his ear. "People are staring at us. Draco, Stop!"

Draco smiled down at her, "Who cares, let them stare all they want." He growled and used his free hand to swipe a 'claw' at a particularly bug-eyed Ravenclaw girl. She turned away quickly and started whispering to her friends.

"No, really, stop." Ginny planted her heels into ground and refused to budge another inch. "First of all, my next class is _that_ away," she pointed down a side corridor they had just passed. "Secondly, I don't need an escort. I returned your _book_, not your kidney. It's no big deal. And, thirdly…. are you ill? I can't believe you are touching me at all, let alone wanting to be seen in the hallway walking with me. Uh, Weasley (points to self); Malfoy (pokes him in the chest)….archenemies, rich, poor, you know that whole scene?"

"Really, Ginny! You have me all wrong! I love the Weasley's! All of them, well, except maybe Percy. He is quite an insufferable git. Nevertheless, the rest of you are just the black cat's pajamas. Really." He batted his eyes at her and she busted a gut laughing. He had gone insane, really, clinically certifiable insane. How hilarious!

"Okay, whatever, Malfoy. I don't know what you are up to, but I'm sure it's nothing I want to be involved in. I never should have picked up your book. I know books and Malfoy's are a bad mixture. See you never." She waved then and bounced off down the corridor to her Charms class with Prof. Flitwick.

The rest of the morning, she had to field questions about that 2-minute walk in the hallway that morning with Draco. What was he thinking? Everyone was throwing out these wild accusations. She heard more than once that Ron was hot under the collar about it. Great, it was almost lunchtime and she would get to face the Trio then. She wasn't feeling particularly hungry at that thought. As a matter of fact, maybe she would skip lunch all together. She could imagine the spectacle of entering the dining hall and having everyone stare at her in unison, the hush, and then the whispers. Yep, she was just going to take a walk for her lunchtime. She headed out the side door towards the lake. It was her favorite spot, unless she was in the quidditch stands watching Harry play, of course. Or sitting with Harry at her family's dining room table, or sitting on Ron's bed listening to him and Harry, or…well, just about anywhere with Harry.

Malfoy spotted Ginny going out the side door. All he saw was her hair but no one had hair like Ms. Weasley. It was long, wavy, coppery, and silky soft…and he sounded like a shampoo ad. Time to get back on task. All that mattered was- she wasn't going to the dining hall so he wasn't either. He told Crabbe and Goyle to tell anyone that asked that he was having lunch with someone special. That should rile up the masses. He grinned and jogged out the door to catch up with his prey.

Ginny walked around the edge of the lake, picking up interesting rocks and skipping them into the shimmering water, being sure to avoid hitting the giant squid. It had its head poking out of the water, watching her, about 30 feet from the shoreline. She always talked to it and it always came up to see the red-haired girl when she was about. She never threw rocks at him as other people did.

Ginny was telling the squid all about her crazy morning, "and then he actually put his hand on my back and started walking me to class. Can you believe that, Sir Squidward? He didn't even know where my class was, of course! And before I could shake him he actually _batted_ his eyes at me! Can you _imagine_?" The squid make a huge splash as it suddenly dived under water. Someone wrapped their hands over her eyes and said, "Guess who?"

Oh, god, she thought. It was St. Mungo's Malfoy.

"Draco, what in the bloody hell are you doing?"

He moved his hands to her shoulders and peered around at her, batting his eyes wildly. "Oh, I just came out to bat my eyes at you some more. The squid told me how you can't resist it."

Ginny knocked his hands off her shoulders and stood with hers planted on her hips. "What are you up to? Why are you pestering me? The whole school thinks we are off our rocker!"

"What are you talking about? I'm not up to anything. I'm an angel. Do you think God would give hair this gorgeous to anyone up to no good?" He looked at her with the classic innocent expression; too bad poisonous snakes have no innocent expression.

Damnation, he did have nice hair- she would give him that. But not out loud. Instead, she gave him her mother's sternest face that she reserved especially for heinous actions, usually those of Ginny's twin brothers, Fred and George.

"Don't give me that line of bull! Either you cough up what you want from me or go back to being your cool, aloof self and ignore me again."

"Ah-ha! So you do think I'm cool!" Draco sneered, "I knew it."

Exasperated, Ginny exclaimed, "You…You….UGGHHHHH!" and poked him in his chest. He caught her hand and held it when she tried to pull it away.

"You have really grown up rather nicely, Ms. Weasley." Draco's eyebrows furrowed when he realized he had said that aloud. He pulled her off balance with her captured hand and she leaned into him with their noses practically touching. She could feel his warm breath on her face and his steel gray eyes were boring into her bright brown ones.

Just then, a bright flash caught them unawares! They jumped back and there was Colin Creevey. He was holding his big camera with a gigantic flash attached to the top.

"First rate news!" He exclaimed with a huge grin, and then he took off for the castle.

Ginny punched Draco full-force in the arm! "You dung beetle! You low-down, dirty…UGGGHHH!" She punched him again, this time in the stomach.

"What did I do?" Draco asked trying to figure out how to hold his stomach and rub his arm at the same time, "OW! That hurt!"

"You came out here with Colin to embarrass me in front of the whole school! What did I do to you to deserve this? That's what I get for trying to be nice to a Malfoy! UGGGGHHHH!" She tried to hit him smack dab in the nose but he ducked just in time.

His gray eyes flashed, "Hey! That's enough, damn it! I am not your friggin' punching bag. I don't know why Creevey was out here but I had nothing to do with it. I just came out to see you!"

"Yeah right! And you would suddenly want to do that because…….." She waited for him to finish her sentence.

"Well…umm…well, can't a guy like a girl without having to have a concrete reason?" Draco stammered.

"Are you saying that _you_ like _me_?" A light breeze would have blown her right over at that moment.

Well, that's not how he anticipated this to go. She was supposed to already be swooning in his mere presence. He was a Malfoy, and not only that, but he was damn good looking. He knew that, for a fact, because he looked at himself any chance he had to confirm it. All the Slytherin girls were on him like flies on honey. This girl was obviously a freak of nature. Well, she was a Weasley, what did he expect?

"Maybe I did before you punched me!" He lied, rubbing his arm.

"Well, why didn't you just say that in the first place? Why does everything have to be all covert and dark and mysterious with you? Why are you so….so…evil?"

He raised an eyebrow then, "I'm a Malfoy; we're born that way, just like Weasleys are born dirt poor."

Well, that really got her hackles up. "That sounds more like the Malfoy we all know and hate. I don't know what this sudden interest is in me, but now I am assured it is not because of your unrequited love. Stay the hell away from me, Malfoy. I would hate to have bat bogies flying out of your perfect little nose again."

As she was storming off, he called to her, "You think my nose is perfect huh? I knew you really adored me!" She gave him a rather unpleasant muggle hand sign. He just grinned and yelled, "Anytime!"

Draco was laying on his bed, thinking of how he was going to win this bet when there was a flare of bright orange from the fireplace. He bolted upright as his father's voice filled the room, "Draco Lucius Malfoy! What is this I hear about you seeing a WEASLEY? A Weasley! Of all the girls in the world, you have to embarrass your mother and I by being seen embracing a WEASLEY?"

Draco stood up immediately and faced his father. Lucius's head was floating in the flames of the fireplace by way of the Floo Network.

"Father, it's not like that at all, Sir." Draco started and then his father held up a picture of Draco and Ginny at the Lake, seemingly engaged in an intimate embrace.

"What exactly is it like then, Draco?" His father demanded sternly pointing at the photo.

"It involves Harry Potter, Sir. We have a bet that I can't make anyone fall in love with me without using a love potion. Ginny Weasley is the one that was chosen randomly for me to apply my charms on. I have one month to make her profess her love for me and then I will drop her like the poor mud-blood loving trash she is, Sir." Draco said hurriedly.

Lucius looked doubtful, "Harry Potter, you say?" Draco nodded and his father continued, "I can't stand that boy. He has the most insufferable luck at avoiding misfortune. I suppose a _friendly_ wager is all right…as long as you win. Which, of course, you will. How could that dirt poor, disgustingly ugly, Weasley girl resist a boy as handsome and talented as you?"

"My thoughts exactly, Sir" Draco said politely, although he did disagree with the ugly part. "Potter will be my house-elf for two weeks at the end of this and the Weasleys will be put in their proper place when I humiliate the girl at the end of the charade."

"Fine, Draco. Next time, I would appreciate a heads up on whatever plans you may be ensconced in with your peers. Your dear Mother almost had to be revived after seeing this disgusting photo. I will make sure and tell our loyal friends that you are using the girl for your own gains. I'll check in with you soon to see what progress you have made."

With that final statement, Lucius disappeared from the flames and Draco gave a sigh of relief. He hadn't given any thought to his Father finding out about his 'seeing' Ginny. Thank goodness, he wasn't really dating her. His father would have his head mounted on the wall. But, he did have more invested in the bet now. He **had **to win since his Father knew of the situation. Malfoys didn't lose, especially to the likes of Harry Potter. He would have to do more planning before acting, because so far, Ginny wasn't exactly falling down at his feet. He lay back down on the bed and gave serious consideration on what measures to take to woo Ms. Weasley.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

The day dawned clear and bright. Ginny had retired early the night before to avoid her brother. He had glowered at her all through dinner. She told him that she had nothing to do with Draco and she didn't know what was going on. Hermione just tsked, tsked over the situation. Harry, she noticed, was very quiet. He kept blushing every time Draco was mentioned and continuously lowered his head further and further into his soup bowl.

After dinner, she was sitting in the Gryffindor common room and Harry came up to her.

"Hi Harry," she said brightly.

He said hi and sat down beside her on the maroon velvet couch. Harry kept fidgeting and fussing with his wand and robes but stayed silent as a stone.

"Do you need something, Harry?" Ginny finally asked, as the suspense was killing her.

"Well, umm, you see, earlier today in potions class…I was kind of talking to Malfoy and…" Ron entered then and immediately headed in Ginny's direction. His face was mottled red and looked a lot like a sunburned puffer fish, with freckles.

"Sorry, Harry, I'm not feeling well. We'll talk again soon," she hurriedly said before taking off on a dead run for the girls' dorms.

It was a new day now though, and she had high hopes that everything would return to normal. She would be mousy little Ginny Weasley; Harry would be impossible-to-catch Harry Potter; and Draco would go back to I'm-better-than-you-don't-even-breath-my-air Malfoy. Yep, life was going back to its normal, boring, self. Hmm, she paused at how she included 'boring' in there. Boring was all right, nothing wrong with boring. She had experienced far too many adventures in the past. She was glad that things had settled down and you-know-who wasn't causing any problems. She was delighted that everyone was seemingly at peace in the wizarding world right now. She was feeling quite relieved that Draco would have forgotten all about her by now. Above all else, she was ecstatic that she didn't have to look into his smoky gray eyes and feel his hands on her back, or shoulders, or... OKAY! Enough was enough. She was getting way off kilter with her thoughts. Time to rein them in! She quickly spruced herself up and clambered downstairs to the common room. Everyone talked to her like usual: hi, how are you, nice day…. basic small talk. Then, she went down to the dining hall to sit with Ron and his friends just as she always did. She didn't mind that she didn't have any real friends of her own to sit with. Besides, she and Hermione got along splendidly. They even talked girl talk, in a very analytical fashion, of course. She grinned at the recollection of some of their previous "girly" conversations. Hermione had a way of rationing everything and being able to hash out any problem in record time.

"What are you so happy about?" Ron asked her quite sourly.

She smiled brightly at her big brother, "Nothing in particular, Ron. It's just a beautiful day is all."

He _harrumphed_ at her but didn't seem as grumpy after she offered him her cinnamon scone. Hermione smiled at her savvy- everyone knew Ron loved good food.

"Hi, Harry. Sorry we didn't get to finish our conversation last night. Was there something you wanted?" Ginny asked hopefully while twirling the pumpkin cider in her crystal goblet.

Harry gave a quick glance to Ron and then shook his head at her, "No, was just going to ask how your studies were going."

Ginny gave a disappointed little "Oh." then continued, "They are going fine, thanks. Potions could be so interesting if Prof. Snape wasn't so hard to get information out of. I am working on an advanced Confusion Concoction. I am going to ask him for help again today and see what happens; I haven't had much luck getting any useful answers out of him yet."

The Trio wished her luck. They all knew how Snape treated Gryffindors. Ginny told them that she would let them know how it went after class since they had Snape right after she did. It was time to head off to their first classes of the day. As they were leaving the hall, Harry and Ginny were walking out side-by-side. He looked like he was going to say something to her again, but Ron told him to hurry up or they were going to be late for Divinations. Ginny was surrounded by weird boys lately. It must be something in the water.

"Excuse me, Prof. Snape?" Ginny stood quietly by the Professor's desk and waited for him to acknowledge her. All the students were working on their end-of-the-semester projects. They each had to successfully complete a potion on their own, and they had two weeks to do it in. She had been working on her concoction for three days now but it wasn't coming out right. She usually had a knack for potions but the problem was eluding her this time. Snape kept on writing in a big, leather ledger, lying open on his desk. His quill was writing in precise, if small, handwriting.

Ginny tried again, "Please, Professor, I need just a little advice, Sir." Snape looked up then.

"What part of 'on your own' do you not understand, _Ms. Weasley_?" The professor finally asked in his raspy voice.

"I am not looking for someone to do it for me. I am trying to make an advanced Confusion Concoction. I want the effects to last longer and I would like it to make the subject babble in a nonsensical way so no one can understand them while under the effects of it. They think they are talking normally though." Ginny took heart that the professor at least looked interested in her idea and continued, "But I haven't been able to isolate the kink in my potion ingredients." She laid her parchment with the details of her proposed potion on his desk.

While he was reading over them, the sand in the hourglass on the Professor's desk ran out and the students began gathering up their things and leaving for their next class. Ginny shifted weight from one foot to the other while she waited for the professor to say something, anything. He finally looked up and sneered.

"Hmm, well it looks like your answer just walked in the door. Draco, come here please."

Ginny turned three shades of red as Malfoy came up to the desk and said, "Yes, sir?"

"It appears Ms. Weasley needs a tutor. You are one of my best potions students, so maybe you could help her tell the difference between a sneezewort and a snorklesnout. Would you be willing to work with Ms. Weasley in the evenings until she is up to par?" The professor's scratchy voice drove a nail in Ginny's coffin. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. Then to make matters worse….

"Yes, sir, I think I can whip her into shape in no time." He would have loved to have smacked her on her bum right then, but he didn't think Snape would have seen the humor in it. He was loving the expression on her face though and winked at her when she turned to stare at him in horror.

"If you think for one minu…" Ginny was interrupted by the professor at this point, in what was sure to have been a scathing and lengthy diatribe.

"Is there a problem, Ms. Weasley? I thought you wanted some assistance. I have offered the perfect solution. You will use this room to study in, after dinner each evening, until your potion is due, starting today. Draco will let me know when you are up to snuff and the lessons can end then. Now, I believe you are going to be late for your next class, run along."

Ginny turned on her heel and stomped off. Hermione, Harry and Ron were at their seats wondering what was going on. She stomped right past them and out the door.

So much for her bright and sunny day. Ron was right. HRRRUMMPPPHH!

Draco was amazed at his good fortune! Not only did he get a valid reason to see Ginny every day, but they got to be in a room alone together as well. Life is good when you're bad.

That evening, Draco arrived at the potion's lab right after dinner. He noticed that Ginny didn't show up to eat. She was probably too nervous about what she was going to wear tonight to have an appetite. He would be nervous too, if he was going to be spending the evening with a chap as comely as himself.

Earlier, when Ginny had stormed off, she left her potion parchment laying on Snape's desk. Snape had given it to him to look over and try to find where she had gone wrong. Draco was secretly impressed with the skill level she showed in the potion theory, and he imagined the professor was as well. He had never asked Draco to tutor anyone before. He would have only asked if he thought the student showed great promise in the art. He grudgingly admitted, if only to himself, that she actually showed great promise in it.

He was still waiting thirty minutes later for Ginny. Then forty-five. When an hour had gone by, he had had enough. He went to the Fat Lady Portrait.

"Let me in."

"Faaallllaaallaaaaalaaaa!" the Fat Lady sang and sang…and ignored him.

"Open up, I need to see Ginny Weasley." Draco snarled.

"Passsswoooorrrdddd!" She sang even louder.

"I don't know the password, you fat cow! Now let me in!" He drew back his hand to smack the fat lady but someone grabbed his hand from behind.

"What on earth are you doing?"

Draco turned with his hand still in someone's soft, warm grasp. He growled out, "Looking for you! Where have you been? I have been twiddling my thumbs for an hour in the lab."

Ginny's eyes flashed a warning, but she said in an even tone, "I decided I don't need any help after all. I will figure it out on my own or I will just do a different potion."

"You can't do that."

"Yes, I can."

"No, you can't. Snape says…"

Ginny squeezed his hand she was still holding. "Snape can stick it up his cauldron."

Draco shook her off his hand. Dang, the girl must be making muscle potion in her spare time. She was really squeezing his hand there. "I can help you. You are really close to figuring it out on your own. It should only take a night or two." He lied. It wouldn't matter of course if she figured it out tonight, he wouldn't let the lessons quit until he had to. It was too perfect a time to spend together, alone.

Ginny looked skeptical. "Am I that close really?"

"Yep." That wasn't a lie, she was just missing a few key things.

Ginny sighed then. "Alright, let's go then. But no cameras!"

Draco grinned, "Deal."

They got back to the lab and Draco used a spell to get the fire going under his desk-size cauldron.

Ginny was annoyed he just assumed they would use his equipment and his desk.

"I like my desk better." It sounded lame even to her ears.

"Where is your desk and I'll move the cauldron over to it." Draco conceded, besides it might be good to know where she sat at usually.

"Fine," She pointed to the desk right in front of his. She knew it was petty and felt like a baby.

"Okay," Draco said, using his wand to move the supplies one desk up, "there, better?"

"Yeah, sorry," she said turning red.

"You blush a lot." He said with a saucy grin.

"Let's just get started, maybe we can figure it out tonight and be done with it."

They worked side by side for about an hour. Draco wouldn't come right out and tell her what was wrong but did give her honest hints at where her problems were. The night passed by easier than Ginny expected. By the time they decided to quit for the night she was feeling like she almost had it. Draco kept yawning though and said it was time to quit. He knew if she stayed on the same vein she was on for another fifteen minutes she would have it figured out, and that just wouldn't do.

He knew she was getting comfortable with him working by her side. They brushed hands and such several times, _of course_. At first, she was jumping like a scared rabbit every time, but by the time they quit she wasn't even noticing. Or so he thought. She was still noticing. She was noticing a lot of things. She noticed how handsome he was when he really smiled, she noticed how good he smelled up close, she noticed how he brushed his hair out of his eyes without knowing he was doing it. She noticed how long and tapered his fingers where, and how it felt like her skin was on fire each and every time they touched each other. She noticed she was losing her mind.

He walked her to the staircase that led up to the Fat Lady's portrait. He said he'd see her tomorrow after dinner and then turned to go to the lower floors of the castle, where the Slytherin room's were.

Ginny called out to him, "Draco.."

He stopped and turned his head around to see her, "Hmm?"

"Never mind, just thanks for the help today." She said it, blushed and ran up to the portrait.

Good thing she didn't see the smirk on his face.

"Let the games begin." Draco hummed all the way to his room.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

The next morning when Draco entered the dining hall, he couldn't help but check out his victim. She really was quite fetching. She had long, coppery hair. It curled at the ends and was thick and bouncy. She had a cute little button nose that was splayed with freckles. Her skin was pale and pristine. She had velvety-soft brown eyes. Hogwart's robes left a lot to the imagination, and he had never really noticed her in muggle clothes before. So, her form was a mystery he was looking forward to solving.

Well, time to get the show on the road. He sauntered over to the Gryffindor table and ignored the stares and whispers. He meandered right up to Ginny's chair, and got down on his haunches beside her.

"Babble Pulp."

Ginny looked down at Draco's serious face as if he had gone mad and repeated, "Babble Pulp?"

Draco just nodded slowly, looking into her eyes expectantly.

Ginny suddenly grabbed the lapels of his robe with both hands and pulled him in closer to her, "Babble Pulp!"

They just stared at each other with these silly grins, but he could tell her wheels were spinning in her head.

"UH-HMMMM! Maybe you two should get a room." Ron's annoying voice broke through their reverie.

Ginny turned her head towards her brother like she was in a daze. He was standing on the other side of the table, leaning on his splayed palms.

Ron continued between clenched teeth, in a dead quiet voice, "Let Malfoy go." Ginny instantly released Draco's robe and he almost toppled backwards.

Good thing he had the Malfoy grace & balance of a wild jungle cat, he thought as he got his equilibrium back. It dawned on Ginny then that her brother was making her look like an obedient fool. Draco saw the moment it hit her, her eyes sparked, her brows raised, and her soft mouth turned into a hard line that was still completely kissable, in his esteemed opinion, only in the name of the bet though, of course.

Ginny opened her mouth and everyone but Ron could tell that he was getting ready to get an earful, but Draco interrupted her before she got a word out.

"No, Weasley's right. I shouldn't have barged in on your breakfast time. I was up all night thinking about you…err your potion, and it hit me this morning. The Babble Pulp might just do the trick. Still, I should have waited for our tutoring time to bring it up. Sorry." He reached up then and patted her jovially on the shoulder, then said, "See you after dinner and we can hash out the right amount." He sauntered off then to his own table, walking as if he was a Greek god, which most students of the female persuasion would agree with, at least in his own mind.

Ron sat down then with a loud that-sure-got-rid-of-that-git-Malfoy-Hrrrmmmppphhh, and returned to shoveling down his breakfast. Harry saw it coming. In fact, Harry thought Ron might as well paint a bulls-eye on his robes. His unintuitive, redheaded friend was in double trouble. Ron was getting visual daggers from not only Ginny, but Hermione as well. Nothing good could come of that. What had he done?

Ron peeked up from his plate long enough to notice that Hermione wasn't eating her bacon, "Can I have that?" he asked, reaching for it.

Hermione slapped his hand, HARD, and then he finally noticed the glares coming from the girls, "What?" he said, or at least it was close to that since he had a mouth stuffed full of food.

"He was just doing his job. Snape assigned him to be Ginny's tutor. He was trying to help her." Hermione said in an even tone, but it was obvious she was furious.

"He's a rotter! If he was helping her I'd eat my shorts!"

Ginny handed him a jar of plum jelly, "Here, I think you might need this to get those nasty things down your throat."

"You're telling me that Malfoy was over here, bothering Ginny, and stinking up our air out of the goodness of his heart?" Ron looked incredibly from one girl to the next, "HELLO! He is Draco Malfoy, he doesn't have a heart!" When the girls still looked fit to be tied, he turned to Harry, "Tell them, Harry! Tell them what gullible saps they are!"

Ginny and Hermione both stared Harry down. "Well, umm, it seems like good advice in regards to the Babble Pulp and all, BUT we all know Malfoy is a pain in the arse. He is probably up to no good. You should definitely just stay away from him, Ginny."

"Well, I thank you very much for your opinion, but it's not up to me at this point. Snape said I had to tutor with Draco until Draco told him that I had my potion perfect."

"_Draco_? Since when do you call Malfoy 'Draco'?" Ron sputtered, spitting out particles of partially chewed food.

"Ugh! Ron, get some manners!" Ginny wiped a speck of something off her cheek that flew out of her brother's foaming mouth. "And, I am sixteen years old. I will call anyone anything I want. You are not my boss, _big_ brother." She pushed her plate aside and got up from the table. "I've lost my appetite."

Ron grinned, "Great, more for me!" Then he happily dived into Ginny's plate as she left the room disgusted.

That night, after dinner, Ginny rushed to the lab. She was so excited about getting her potion completed. She couldn't believe that she hadn't thought of the pulp of the babble on her own. It was known for its confusing properties when boiled down with some fennel seed. It was a little flaky though, and had to be in the exact amount or it was unpredictable.

Draco was running late she assumed, since he wasn't there when she arrived. She gathered up her supplies and got the cauldron lit. She pored through the books on the shelves looking for anything about the babble plant. She was reading at her desk, tapping her quill on her cheek when Draco entered. He watched her for a second or two before joining her at her desk. He had figured out how to make her love him. He was going to keep his distance. She loved Potter and he rarely gave her the time of day. He had patted himself on the back so many times throughout the day that he had an aggravated shoulder. He was a bloody genius.

"Hey, Ginny, looks like you are hard at it." He said while opening up his personal notebook to a page about the babble plant.

Ginny looked up at him and graced him with a beautiful smile. He thought that he should have paid the Weaselette some attention sooner. She was fine…in a have-fun-with-but-never-marry kind of way, of course.

"Yep, what do you think about three grams?"

He sat down and furrowed his brow, "I'm not sure. We better try two and work our way up."

They worked side-by-side for the rest of the evening. Every time Ginny thought they had it, something would be off and the potion would fizzle, pop, and sputter, when by her calculations it should have one gaseous green 'poof' and then settle into a turquoise solution with no bubbles.

She pushed her book aside, "I'm finished for tonight. I'll sleep on it and maybe we can get a fresh start tomorrow. I really thought we had it spot-on the last time." She looked deflated.

Draco nodded his head in understanding, "Yeah, I bet you will figure it out tomorrow. Maybe Hermione would have some insight on it. She seems to know everything."

Ginny eyed him warily but he didn't seem to be being malignant. He wasn't even looking at her, but rather was just gathering up his items.

"See you tomorrow, Ginny. I'll try not to ruin your breakfast even." He flashed her a dead-sexy grin and was out the door.

Just like that? Didn't walk her to her stairway? Didn't even wave, or blow her a kiss or anything. She giggled then at the picture of Malfoy blowing kisses. He probably didn't know how to. She gathered up her things and left the room just as she had found it. She spent the rest of the evening running over what she was doing wrong with her potion. She had no idea, of course, that Draco was putting a few drops of Mrs. Scower's Magical Mess Remover into each batch.

The next week passed just about exactly the same. Ginny went to classes, dinner, and then joined Draco in the potions lab. She was starting to feel very, very strange though. Every time their hands would touch, or their legs would brush, or he'd look at her intently, she'd get jelly-legged for some reason. But, he was cool as a cucumber. He was so polite and helpful. He never said an unkind word to her in all that time. No snide remarks about how long it was taking her, no teasing her for being stupid or red-haired. He didn't even say a bad word about her family or friends. She was pretty sure that he was under a spell, but she didn't want to break it so left well enough alone. They worked every evening, and she just knew that she was 'this close' to perfecting her potion. She even caught herself thinking she would really miss him when she was done with her tutoring sessions. That was a very scary thought, and one she kept to herself.

Hermione ducked the hairbrush flying past her head. Ginny was certainly in a snit over something. She was saying words that Hermione didn't even know the meaning of, but they didn't sound very ladylike. For further evidence of the younger girl's foul mood, Ginny was stomping around the dorm room, hurling anything that got in her way.

"Ginny? Are you okay?" but as the words were leaving her lips, she realized what the problem obviously was, "Malfoy! He's been a bugger to you, hasn't he? He better not be getting fresh with you! I'll turn his undershorts into lice infested woolies!" She started to stomp off to begin her torment, but Ginny stopped her with a simple sentence.

"I wish."

That stopped Hermione in her tracks. "Excuse me?"

Ginny looked at her, with the most miserable expression, "I said, 'I wish' that was the problem."

Hermione sat on someone's bed, arms folded in front of her chest, "Spit it out."

"Can you keep a secret from Ron and Harry?"

Hermione bit her bottom lip, "I'll try."

"I guess I'll take my chances," Ginny sat across from her, "I have to talk to someone about this or I'm going to explode." She gave a big sigh and then began, "Draco has been very helpful. He consistently compliments my ideas and skills at potion making. He never makes lewd comments or suggestions. He hasn't even said a word against you three for the whole week and a half we've been doing the tutoring sessions."

Hermione cut in then, "So, what's the problem? It sounds like he's being a perfect gentleman." She didn't know he had it in him, but she spared Ginny that comment.

"There lies the problem. I would love for him to be himself. Every time we touch accidentally, I get the goose bumps. There is this huge tension building up in me and I want it to stop. I want to exchange barbs with him. I want him to tease me and make fun of me so I can come back with something witty and charming. I want him to whisper something naughty in my ear so I can blush and smack him. But, he's just not doing anything like he's supposed to."

Hermione was looking at her as if she had grown two heads, "Let me get this straight. You want Malfoy to be mean to you? You want him to hit on you? You want…you…you like him!"

Ginny stood up then like her rear had a rocket on it. "No way!" She walked a few paces away from Hermione and then turned back to her, "NO way!" She sat back on the bed as if in slow motion and stared incredulously at Hermione, "Oh my God, I do. I like him….like _that _even!"

"Don't tell Ron! For heaven's sake, don't tell him! Don't tell anyone. This is horrible! This is totally irrational. I just can't believe it. Why? Why on earth would you like _Malfoy_?"

A dreamy look overcame Ginny's face and she answered, "He smells so yummy."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

Draco was surrounded by Slytherins in his common room. They were lamenting over his horrid luck at getting stuck tutoring a Weasley. He was finding it all very humorous but was trying his best to appear a wounded victim.

"You poor thing, having to see that Ginny Weasley every evening! Is she as dumb as she looks?" Pansy Parkinson asked, patting his knee…over and over and over.

"Oh yes, She's about as smart as a slug." _A very, very smart slug that was excellent at potions, _he thought to himself.

"God, I bet her old ancient hand-me-down robes smell putrid!" Blaise put in his two knuts.

"You can't begin to imagine the odor the girl emanates, it fills the entire room!" _And it just about does him in every single day. She smelled like honey and roses at dusk…or so he would imagine_.

Millicent added with a smirk, "At least you get to put her in her place every day, reminding her who runs this school."

_Oh yeah, he had a place he wanted to put her but he wasn't sharing that little tidbit with his lackeys_, "Yeah, I make her nearly cry everyday. It makes the whole thing tolerable."

"I think she's purdy." Goyle broke in with a dumb look and a shrug.

All of Draco's audience turned to Goyle and "Ewwww'd" at the same time; many smacked him on his obviously defunct noggin.

Draco laughed aloud at Goyle. That was the most intelligent thing the boy had said in the 17 years Draco had known him. Everyone else followed his lead, only they were laughing at Goyle's expense. Goyle looked embarrassed but didn't take back his statement.

"I'm going to bed; trying to help that _girl_ is wearing me down. The things we must do for our Head of House." Draco tried to look forlorn as he traipsed off to his room. As soon as he was out of sight though, he had a spring in his step. Tomorrow was going to be a great day. He was finally going to let Ginny get her potion right and she was going to be all over him. He thought about rubbing his hands together in evil bliss but thought that was too cliché.

The next day, Ginny kept repeating Hermione's advice every time Draco entered her thoughts. Hermione said that Draco was probably tricking her somehow. He might have put a spell on her or something. Hermione was going to look in all her spell books and see what she could find. She found it very curious that Ginny just now started liking him when she had known him for years and hadn't found him the least bit appealing. Ginny didn't tell her that she had thought he was good-looking for quite some time….at least on the outside. How can you go wrong with silky blond hair and gray eyes the color of rain clouds on a spring day? If that wasn't enough to get a girl's attention, there his physique, which was hard and lean from playing quidditch all these years. He was definitely in excellent shape, no doubt in her addled mind. Moreover, it didn't matter that Hermione thought she was losing her mind when she said he smelled yummy, the boy smelled downright delectable! If anyone could sit by him for hours at a time and not want to snuggle into his neck and breath him in, they were crazy, not her.

Ginny's day ended up being rather uneventful. She was extremely busy with school at the moment. The end of the semester always brought on extra studying and stress. Her potion wasn't her only concern. Far from it as she had lengthy parchments due in her other classes as well. In fact, all the late evenings being spent on her potion had detracted from her performance in her other studies.

She was walking with the crowds through the halls, shuffling through some papers when she ran smack-dab into someone. Her papers flew off in eighty different directions.

"Oh! Damn!" She said as she started to pick up her things.

"Pretty harsh language there coming from a little female Weasel."

Ginny looked up startled at the familiar tone of Draco's voice calling her a weasel. He, however, was smiling at her and was already bending down to help pick up her papers. They both reached for the same paper, and as their hands met, she blushed and pulled back. He lightly held on to her fingertips though and she felt her face flushing. However, she wasn't about to pull away from this long-awaited move on his part.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to about knock you over. I just…"

"Oh my gawd! What are you doing?" It was Pansy and she looked like a bullfrog that had just eaten something very, very nasty.

Draco looked up at Pansy without letting lose of Ginny's hand, "Don't you have class or something that you should be getting to?"

Pansy looked like she wanted to say more but she didn't. She gave a menacing scowl in Ginny's direction and then took off like a bat out of Hades.

"I was looking for you." Draco continued as if nothing had just occurred to cause the whole school to go up in flames.

Ginny was truly dumbfounded. She couldn't get her wits about her with him holding her hand in a hallway full of students, many of them walking very, very slowly by them now… "Wh-what? You..." she made a squeaky kind of noise and then continued, "you were looking for me?"

Draco tried his best not to grin at her, his plan was working…oh how he would like to do that rubbing-your-hands-together-in-evil-bliss thing, "Oh yes, I think I know what we are doing wrong with your potion and tonight we should get it right!"

"We should?" Ginny heard herself say, still trying to shake the cobwebs out of her brain.

"Got to go, see you after dinner!" Draco let go of her hand, shoved her papers into her arms, and was gone out of her sight before she had even got up off the hallway floor.

As it turned out, Ginny was late to her next class but she looked so distraught that her teacher let it pass without incident. She moved through the rest of the day in a bewildered daze. She was so nervous about possibly running into Draco after potions class that she forgot her project parchment. Snape caught her as she was leaving.

"Ms. Weasley," he said in his nasally voice, waving her parchment in the air.

"Sorry, Professor," she said, reaching out for it. He drew it back though, and read it with great interest.

"Have you made a proper batch of this yet?" He asked, raising one eyebrow practically to his greasy hairline.

"No, Sir. Draco says we should get it tonight though," she answered, shuffling her weight from foot to foot.

"Oh, he does, eh? Well, let us hope so. You only have two days left before it is due," Snape drawled out.

"Yes, sir, can I go to my next class now, sir?" Ginny asked nervously.

He handed her the parchment and released her with a flip of his pale hand. She hurried off then just catching sight of Draco's fair head coming down the hall. She ran off in the other direction, even though her class was in his.

"Would you stop that?" Ron asked for the fifth time. Ginny was tapping her fingers on the dining room table, staring at the hourglass by the door.

"What?" she asked for the fifth time, as well.

"Stop tapping your fingers like that! It's driving me mental and it's going to affect my digestion," Ron said, forking some more roasted turnips into his mouth.

"Oh, okay, sorry." Ginny replied absentmindedly, tapping her fingers on the table again five seconds later.

"What are you so fidgety for?" Ron asked, grabbing the hand closest to him. Hermione looked at Ginny with concern, but didn't say anything. Harry just sat there, as usual of late, sticking his head further and further into his plate and ignoring everyone if anything controversial was going on.

"I am waiting till time to go to my potion's tutoring." She finally said, eyeing that hourglass again.

"Oh, I see. Can't wait to see that bloody Malfoy, can we? Speaking of which, I heard a rumor that you were holding hands with him in the hallway today," Ron said, sending daggers over in Draco's general direction.

"Yes, that's right, Ron. You will be the best man at our wedding, won't you?" Ginny asked sweetly.

Ron's big gulp of pumpkin juice, which he had just taken a swig of, came snorting out of his nose.

"Not funny, Ginny! Now I **will** have digestive problems, _along_ with nightmares." He said wiping off his dripping face.

"Well, maybe the spiders will leave you alone in your dreams if you have Malfoy and me on your mind."

She suddenly jumped up as she noticed the sand running out and gave a hurried g'bye as she fled the room. She wanted to beat Draco to the dungeons so she could get her stuff going and get out of there early. She was losing her marbles and it was time to recollect them.

Draco wasn't going to let her off that easy though. He had watched her the whole meal and got up as soon as she did. He followed her right out the door, much to his housemates' dismay. He wouldn't answer any of their inquiries- except to say things weren't as they seemed and they would find out soon enough what was going on. Pansy was beside herself, but she knew when to shut up. Her mother had taught her well how to snag the right wizard… and Draco was the right wizard, the only wizard for her.

"Ginny! Ginny, hold up! I'll walk with you." Draco said trying to catch up to her. She knew he had followed her out but was trying to pretend she didn't. When he called out to her though, she stopped without turning around and waited for him to catch up. _I am not going to go all ga-ga over him, I am not going to go all ga-ga over him_, she told herself while she waited for him to reach her.

"Hey, Malfoy," she said in way of greeting when he was by her side.

"Hi, think we can get this potion out of the way tonight?" He asked, walking stride-by-stride with her, trying to brush a part of him onto a part of her with each passing step.

She scooted over a bit and answered, "If it's such a burden to you, I can finish up on my own. You can go on back to your friends."

Draco eyed her warily… this was new. Was his plan not working as well as he thought? No, of course it was; he was on schedule with the whole charade. "No, I don't mind tutoring you at all. I'm just glad that you will be able to get it done in time is all I meant."

"Oh," she said half-heartedly, "Okay."

They finally reached the dungeon classroom and Ginny thought it was none too soon. If he touched her hand again with his, while they were walking, she was going to turn into a pile of flobberworms.

"I'll get the cauldron going," Draco said. "I think the babble pulp should be the original three grams you suggested. We just must have gotten something else wrong when we tried it that way before."

Ginny got that familiar gleam in her eye that she had had every night when she was on to something right. "You think so? I was sure it should be three grams!" She got right into properly preparing the potion then, without a care to her emotional distress a few seconds ago.

"Yes, I talked to Prof. Snape this afternoon and he agrees." Actually, Prof. Snape had talked to him this afternoon in something close to a lecture. When the professor had looked at Ginny's parchment, he knew she had the potion perfect. She had crossed out the three grams and he asked Draco why that hadn't done the trick. Draco made up some flimsy excuse about a dirty cauldron. The teacher gave him a dressing down about checking his equipment and dismissed him with instructions to get it right tonight. The 'or else' was definitely implied there. He was glad he had intended on getting it correct tonight anyway, but now it was a bit more urgent that nothing else went wrong.

Ginny mixed, mashed, and mangled all of her ingredients into her cauldron. There was a glorious, gaseous, green "POOF!" and then the mixture settled into a lovely turquoise color…with no bubbles. Ginny stared at it in open-mouthed amazement. Then, much to Draco's delight, she hurtled herself into his arms! She was laughing and crying and she wrapped her arms around his neck as if it was the most natural thing in the world. He did what anyone would do in such a situation; he spun her around the room, laughing right along with her. Before they knew it, they had twirled right into a wall, knocking a picture of Salazar Slytherin askew.

Ginny's back was against the wall and Draco was still holding her around her waist. The laughter faded away and they were left listening to each other's quickened breaths. Ginny thought she heard his heart beating and she knew she felt it. It was a steady beat that matched her own. That yummy neck was just too close to her- there was no hope now. She looked into his gray eyes and knew what was going to happen next. He was going to bend his head down and meet hers in a dazzling kiss that would deepen into their lips parting…

"Ginevra Molly Weasley! What in the bloody hell are you doing?"

Draco cursed under his breath. Damn that Weasel, five more minutes, just five more minutes! He could feel Ginny pulling away from him. He looked into her eyes and saw the confusion there, and felt like a heel. When did he get this annoying conscience? He wanted his money back; the damn thing was useless to him. Draco reached up and took her hands down from his neck without breaking eye contact with her. He brought them in front of him and kissed her knuckles before letting her go. Ginny's knees about gave out then. She could barely stand, let alone stand up to Ron. Draco sighed and turned to face the annoying prat of a weasel, while blocking Ginny from her brother's stare.

"Ron, so glad you could join us," Draco said with his trademark smirk. "We were just celebrating."

"Celebrating my freckled arse! Looks like you were getting ready to snog my sister from over here!" Ron had his hands clenched by his sides and he had that puffer fish look going on again. His eyes were bulging and his face was bright red and mottled. Ginny would have been perfectly happy if a dementor showed up right now and sucked out her soul. Anything would be better than her brother catching her in Malfoy's arms.

"Well, maybe you need to get your eyes checked. Ginny just got her potion right and we were so happy to be rid of each other that we…oh bloody hell! I don't have to explain anything to you, Weasel. What are you doing here anyway?" Draco said, still standing in front of Ginny. She had her forehead resting on his back and he could feel her warm breath on his skin beneath his school uniform.

"Getting ready to kill you is what I'm doing here." Ron pulled out his wand and pointed it directly at Draco's chest.

"I think we need to test the potion, Draco," Ginny whispered behind him. "I'll disarm him, you grab him, and we'll get some down his throat."

At Draco's nod, everything happened in a blur. Ginny stuck her wand between Draco's body and his arm. She shouted "Accio!" Ron's wand flew from his hand and landed behind Snape's desk. Draco jumped on him and they both fell to the floor. Ron opened up his mouth to curse Draco to another dimension and Ginny scooped out some of her potion and poured it down his throat. He spit, sputtered and cursed before turning a lovely shade of turquoise for a brief second. Ginny stared in horror. She wasn't expecting that side effect. What had she done to her brother? What other ill effects would come of her concoction? She was about to find out, she guessed, as there was no going back now.

Ron stopped fighting Draco. He was turning his head every which way and his eyes were moving from object to object. He looked at Ginny and said, "blah wheche nother." Ginny could only look at him in amazement. He turned to Draco then and made more incoherent babblings, "judiky humphy quarked portho!"

Draco looked at Ron and a huge grin broke out on his handsome face. He turned to Ginny, "It worked! I can't understand a thing he's carrying on about."

Ginny knew she was going to hell for it but she had to smile right back. Her potion worked. It really worked. Her brother was now the village idiot. Her mother was going to kill her if she found out, but until then she couldn't help but be ecstatic!

"What do you think he remembers?" she asked then, a worried frown replacing the grin as her brother continued babbling like a toddler.

Malfoy shrugged, "No clue, Gin. I don't know if any memory loss he experiences will be permanent either or if it will wear off when the potion does."

Ginny bit her bottom lip while she thought this out. "Okay, I think the potion will last about an hour. If I am right, he will not have any recollection of what happened to him after he was given the potion until it wears off. He should only have vague images of whatever he saw and did for about 20 minutes before he drank it. The babbling should end the same time the immediate confusion does."

"Sounds good to me," Draco said with a shrug, "You're the expert. Let's get him out of here… what are we going to do with him?"

"I don't know."

"Throw him in the lake and let the giant squid have its way with him?"

"No, too mean to the squid."

Draco laughed.

"It's still early. There are students wandering all around, let alone teachers." She was biting her lip again.

He brushed the bent knuckle of his right index finger over her mouth, "Quit worrying over it, we'll figure it out."

"Moaning Myrtle!" They both said at the same time.

"That was freaky," Ginny said eyeing Draco.

"Great minds think alike, dear. Let's go." Ginny was thinking too hard about the 'dear' in that sentence to appreciate the talent Draco showed next. He used a variety of spells with his wand to get Ron up and walking. They walked him all the way to the abandoned girls' bathroom on the second floor. The whole while, Ginny's brother was talking his incomprehensible mumbo jumbo.

They got him through the door and Ginny tried to make him comfortable in one of the stalls. He continued to look around in dazed confusion, babbling away like a crazy brook. They quickly stepped away from him and edged out the door. When they were safely on the other side of it, they stopped to listen for a second. Myrtle had just found Ron and was beseeching him to tell her where his friend, Harry, was. She was moaning about how he wasn't talking to her correctly because he thought she was ugly and fat.

Draco pulled on Ginny's arm and they moved away down the hall. Ginny felt bad about her brother's state, but she sure hoped he couldn't remember what had happened. This would certainly test her potion making skills. Oh well, nothing to be done now except wait. She pulled her arm away from Draco, and then surprised him by taking his hand instead. He didn't say anything, just held her hand in his firm grip and kept walking. She soon realized that they were in a portion of the castle she wasn't familiar with. She was pretty sure it wasn't used much. The portraits all had a layer of dust covering them. Draco seemed to know where he was going, however, because he was walking with a steady stride. When they reached the end of the hallway, Ginny looked at him confusion. There was a floor-to-ceiling bookcase at the end flanked by two burning candelabras on the wall.

"In the mood for a good book, are we?" Ginny asked looking at him bemusedly.

"Yep," he answered with a smirk, "This one right here." He pointed to a book entitled, The Way Out by I.T. Wontbudge. He gave it a tug and the bookcase started to slowly spin around, exposing a dark corridor beyond its usual resting place.

Draco pulled her into the opening and it closed up tight behind them. Ginny clutched Draco's hand and moved closer to him. He obliged her by tucking her closely into his side. It was pitch black wherever they were now. It smelled musty and damp. It reminded Ginny of the Chamber of Secrets and she was very nervous.

"Lumosita," Draco said in a quiet but steady voice. His wand tip glowed with a soft light. It didn't help set Ginny's mind at ease though. This long-forgotten stairwell looked even worse than it smelled. There were cobwebs here that looked to be from a herd of acromantulas. She thought vaguely of the Ford Anglia and wondered if it could fit in this narrow hallway to save her as it had Ron and Harry.

"It's okay, we aren't going much farther." Draco said, smiling at her reassuringly as he pulled her forward. They went down several flights of stone steps. They were crumbling in some places and Ginny lost her footing twice but Draco pulled her upright before she hurled to her death in the darkness below.

"If you wanted to kill me, I would have thought you would have had ample opportunity with all the time we have spent alone in the dungeons." Ginny said with a nervous hitch in her voice that belied she wasn't entirely joking.

Draco stopped then at a solid wooden door. With a flick of his wand and a quiet command, the door opened easily and silently. He gave her a wicked grin that about floored her.

"I don't want to kill you, I just want to snog you in peace."


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

"W-what? Where are we?" Ginny asked in a timid voice. She thought that she might perhaps brave the dark stairway and bolt back up to the false bookcase.

"My room," Draco answered as he indicated the surroundings with a flip of his wrist.

The room was lavishly decorated. There were dark green velvet chairs and settees placed around a huge stone fireplace. There was a black fur rug thrown in front of it. Just taking notice of it made Ginny blush. She, of course, turned even redder when her eyes moved round the room to his bed. It was covered in a rich emerald silk comforter, with black and silver pillows tossed haphazardly at the head of the bed. There were flags of the Slytherin crest scattered around the room, as well as a huge portrait of his parents above the mantle. They looked down their noses and talked about her in loud whispers. There was a door across the way, which Ginny assumed led to the rest of the Slytherin rooms. The door they entered was invisible from inside the room.

"Well?" Draco asked, propelling her further into the room.

"I can't believe you get your own room. That bites!" Ginny said with a scowl.

Draco laughed, "I'm Draco Lucius Malfoy….you can't expect me to share quarters with the masses, do you?"

She just elbowed him and walked over to the settee closest to the fireplace. A house-elf came from out of nowhere, handed her a drink, and started the fire. She smelled the amber-colored liquid in her glass and Draco laughed again.

"I assure you, my house-elves never poison pretty girls in my room."

"Oh, so you have pretty girls here often do you?" Ginny glared at his back, since he had moved over to a shelf on the other side of the room. Music began playing and Ginny's eyes got big as saucers.

She exclaimed, "Draco Malfoy! That's an American muggle tune!" as soon as she recognized the lyrics:

_You have so many relationships in this life _

_Only one or two will last _

_You're going through all this pain and strife _

_Then you turn your back and they're gone so fast _

_And they're gone so fast _

_So hold on to the ones who really care _

_In the end they'll be the only ones there _

_When you get old and start losing your hair _

_Can you tell me who will still care _

_Can you tell me who will still care _

_Mmm bop, _

_ba duba dop Ba du bop, _

_ba duba dop Ba du bop, _

_ba duba dop Ba du_

Ginny started howling with laughter, "Draco Malfoy is a _Hanson_ fan!"

He sauntered over and sat down beside her, all the while humming along with the tune, "You won't tell any of my fellow Death Eaters will you?" He flashed her a dead sexy grin and she collapsed on him in a fit of teary giggles.

There was a sudden flash of green light and a dignified voice filled the room, "What is that horrid noise, Draco? Do you have a pack of howling gytrashes in there with you? Is that supposed to be _music_?"

Lucius' transparent head was suspended in the fireplace and he was looking around the room for the source of the irritating noise. His head swiveled to Draco as he continued, "How goes the bet with Potter, boy?"

Just then Ginny raised her head off of Draco's lap and Lucius let a little surprised chuckle get past his thin lips before he sneered at the red-haired girl that could only be a Weasley. "Ah, never mind, I see it goes quite well. Carry on, son." With that, the head was gone and the regular fire crackled again.

Draco was frozen in place, _Well Pixie Dung, how the hell was he going to play this off?_

Ginny sat up on the settee and stared pointedly into Draco's gray eyes, as she crossed her arms over her chest, "What was that about, Draco Lucius Malfoy?"

"Um…umm…well….I- I don't know. Seems my father must be in the wacky water again," he said tipping an invisible glass to his lips several times.

"Uh-huh, try again, please," Ginny said pulling her eye brows down into a menacing scowl. "That wouldn't even placate Pug-Face Parkinson." She moved as far away as she could from him, never letting her stare waver.

Draco sighed and ran a hand through his hair, _Damn his Father_.

"Never mind, I'll go ask Harry." Ginny jumped off the couch and headed for the door across the way.

"No, no, don't leave me, Ginny! Please, come on, we can talk it out." But it was too late; she had already opened the door and had entered what must be the Slytherin's common room. Students were doing various things around the room. Ginny thought fleetingly that they looked so normal. She didn't see any blood or carnage as she walked through the room. They did all turn to stare at her in bewilderment though.

Draco grabbed for her arm but she brushed it off and kept on going.

"Ginny, come back…please?" Draco said stepping in front of her. She stopped and planted her hands on her hips while giving him a scathing look that made the hair on his neck stand on end.

"Harry will give me what I need. I should have known you weren't a real man." All the Slytherins raised their eyebrows and looked at each other wondering what Harry was going to give her that Draco evidently couldn't. There were several snickers as well.

She stormed past him just as Blaise was entering their portrait hole. She brushed by him and scampered through the opening before Draco could catch her again.

He stood at the entryway, running his hands through his hair, and then turned to face his classmates.

"What are you looking at? Mind your own damn business!" and with that he stormed back into his room and slammed the door so hard it cried out in pain.

_Well, hellhound piss, what was he going to do now? _He thought as paced back and forth across the bear rug, pretending he didn't hear the laughter still coming from the common room. He gave the dead beast's head a hard stomp and then he ducked back into the hidden stairwell.

Harry saw her coming. Who could miss her entrance? Her robes were billowing behind her, as was her flaming coppery tresses. She looked like a fireball, and she was aimed right at him. He had a strong urge to duck and cover, but he was Harry Potter. He was a hero, a champion, a brave lad in his own right… but a wimp when it came to girls. Thank God, Voldemort wasn't of the female persuasion or he would have been a goner already. He steeled his nerve and prepared for Ginny's onslaught.

The other students in the Great Hall didn't seem to notice her, not that she would care if they did. She strode right up to Harry, who was playing a game of chess with a Ravenclaw, Terry Boot, and put her hands on her hips. She gave him her mother's famous Fred-and -George-glare. She thought he was shaking a bit already and that gave her more confidence.

"What is going on with you and Draco Malfoy?" Now that statement got the attention of several of the students that were milling around the room.

"Huh?" he asked with a dumb look on his face- trying to buy some time for his useless brain to kick in and give him a solution to this mess.

Ginny tapped her foot impatiently, "I know you two have some kind of bet going on and that it somehow involves me. Spill."

There were too many prying ears in the room. Harry was very aware that every one in the hall was listening to their conversation. Uniforms of every house were edging closer and closer into his field of peripheral vision.

"Umm, let's go somewhere else and talk… privately." Harry said, nodding his head a bit in the direction of the students in the room.

Just then, the buzz in the room changed. Everyone was looking behind Ginny now and Harry immediately rose from his chair with his wand palmed.

"Potter, mind if I steal Gin for a bit? No? Good, thanks," Draco said, hooking one of his arms through hers and walking off without a care in the world. Ginny was furious! She was practically foaming at the mouth. She wanted to hash this out though, so instead of having a hissy, she grabbed up Harry and dragged him along behind her. They made quite the spectacle- sort of like a weird, wizard, mini-conga line.

Draco knew she was bringing Potter along, he didn't care. He didn't care if she brought Snape and Hagrid's drooling boarhound, as long as he had a hold of her arm, it didn't matter. He was NOT losing this bet or her. Well, not that he would care if he lost her. After all, it was all just a game to him. He didn't really like her or anything. She was just another girl. He could have any girl, any girl at all. He ignored the betraying voice in his head that was mocking him for the lies he was shoving down his own throat.

The conga line stopped at the lake. Anytime Draco needed to think or be alone, he went to the lake. It was peaceful, serene, and usually fairly deserted.

"Alright, Ginny, tell Potter that you love me" Draco said as soon as they stopped and he turned to face them, still clutching Ginny's arm in obvious desperation.

She looked at him as if he had runespoors coming out of his nose. "I will do no such thing. Why on earth would I do that?"

"Because you do." He said firmly, pulling one of her arms.

"Oh bug off, Malfoy. She doesn't love you, you evil prat!" Harry said pulling her other arm.

Draco tugged harder, "Yeah, she does. She's crazy about me."

Harry snorted, "She would be _crazy_ to care about you. Give it up." He pulled her again in his direction.

Ginny had had enough! She pulled her arms together in one swift, strong motion. The two boys banged heads together in front of her. She smiled in satisfaction as they both let loose of her to rub their noggins'.

"I want to know what the bet was, and I want to know right now."

Draco looked at her with wounded eyes, "You hurt me! I'm probably going to have a bump the size of Potter's ego in the morning, marring up my perfect face."

"Perfect face?" Harry said still rubbing his forehead, "You vain peacock! I think I have a concussion!"

Oh, they were so lucky she didn't know any 'Unforgivable Curses'. She would have taken great pleasure at that moment in using one, or two, maybe even all three of them.

"Alright! Enough! Harry, you first. Tell me what you bet on."

Draco caught his eye and Harry knew that if he told her, the bet was off and he would lose. He couldn't tell Ginny anything about the bet or he was going to be wearing a tea towel.

"Draco said he could get any girl to fall in love with him without using a love potion," at Harry's words, Draco's mouth hit the ground. Harry continued, "I said he couldn't, of course, and the bet was on."

Ginny looked perplexed, "How did I get involved in this stupid wager?"

"You returned my notebook." Draco said sheepishly but added for good measure, "but I was really glad it was you!"

Ginny looked fit to be tied, "Harry Potter, I am shocked that you would do that to some girl! Setting them up to get slathered on by Malfoy's Slytherin spittle!" She shook her head at him in utter contempt.

"Hey, I didn't slather on you even one time!" Draco countered.

"And you," Ginny turned her brown eyes on him next, "pretending to be all nicey-nice to me. Helping me with my potion, trying to kiss me, listening to Hanson…"

At that Harry broke in with a loud guffaw, "HANSON??? Oh my God! Hanson? Do you like Air Supply too? Maybe Milli Vanilli?"

Draco and Ginny both exclaimed, "Shut up, Potter!"

Draco grabbed Ginny's hand, "It started out a bet but I really do like you. You are smart, funny, beautiful…would you stop that Potter!" Draco interrupted when he saw Harry moving his hand like a puppet and mouthing _blah blah blah_, "I don't care about the stinking bet. I just want you to love me." He kissed her hand and gave her 'the look'. You know- the one that melts asphalt. The one that is supposed to turn any female within a 200-mile radius into putty. The one that…..went right by Ginny like a snitch in a bad quidditch game.

"I don't want anything to do with you two ever again. I HATE you both. You made your nasty little bed of lies and hurtfulness. Now you can sleep in it you…you…big ugly toad-faced baboons!" And with that, she stormed off to the castle leaving the boys standing by the lake.

Draco looked at Harry with skepticism, "We don't have to lie in that bed together do we?"

"God I hope not, let's assume it's a bunk bed…just in case."


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

Ron came out of his stupor with the translucent, pimply face of Moaning Myrtle stuck right in front of his.

"Bout time you woke up." She said swirling around excitedly.

Ron shook his head to clear away the last remnants of fog that were clouding his senses.

"What am I doing in here?" He asked the girl-ghost.

"You came to declare your undying love for me of course." She batted her eyelashes at him from behind her ghostly glasses and clasped her hands to her unbeating heart.

Ron sputtered, "I did what? How did I get here?" He closed his eyes and tried to remember what had happened. He remembered eating dinner, and then….well…then he just couldn't fit the pieces together.

He got up on unsteady legs and leaned against the stall. He was feeling better physically by the minute but his head felt like it was filled with cotton. He moved toward the door trying to shake his head out.

"Bye, Myrtle," he said absentmindedly as he stepped over the threshold.

"Bye-Bye. Tell Harry I said hello." She said, starting to cry at his departure.

Ron went right to his room and passed out, he was exhausted and he couldn't even remember what from.

He stood with his elbow resting on the mantle, watching the spectacle a few yards away. No one had approached him in the fifteen minutes he had been there scowling. He had followed Blaise in here after dinner. He knew his 'friend' had been a little too chipper today.

"What the bloody hell is going on over there?" Potter had come up beside him, wearing a matching scowl.

"I think we're looking at our bed." Draco answered with a surly nod in the direction of Ginny.

She was sitting on one of the brocade-covered chairs in the main common room, on the first floor of Hogwarts. She was wearing an outfit that would make Peeves give a wolf call. Her skirt was about three inches too short for a regulation school uniform. She had 'forgotten' to button the top several buttons of her shirt it seemed. Her luxurious hair was floating around her head perfectly. The little minx's brown eyes were sparkling and her smile was radiating. She was laughing at the boys around her, and there were plenty to humor her. Anthony Goldstein was leaning on the back of her chair; Justin Finch-Fletchley was sitting on the left arm of it; and Blaise was on the right. She also had several more boys hanging around her in various positions.

"How…what…I don't understand. We were just with her yesterday and she was normal. Mad, but normal. What's up with this sudden change? And where did all these guys come from?" Harry asked, taking up permanent residence by the mantel to help Draco glower at Ginny and her sudden admirers.

"I don't know all the details. Blaise told me earlier today that 'my little fireball' was looking to replace me. She has been flirting with anyone with two legs since she rolled out of bed this morning it seems," Draco said, never taking his eyes off Ginny. She didn't appear to even know that he and Potter were in the room.

She did, of course. She loved every scowl they sent her direction. Her day had started out like so many others. She got up late and hurried to get dressed. Only this morning, her skirt was a little loose. It was a hand-me-down from one of her cousins, as were most of her clothes. She didn't have time to change so she used a shrinking spell on it. However, the spell worked too well and she ended up over-doing it. She cursed it, but knew her robe would cover her backside, even though its front zipper had broken long ago, so she wasn't too concerned. Then, when she was in her first class of the day (Defense Against the Dark Arts) one especially naughty pixie bit off three of her shirt buttons. At least her potions test went well. Snape should give her high marks, because her potion worked beautifully. She started noticing as she made her way to Madam Hooch's Flying Class, that several boys were eyeing her. She checked her nose for boogies but she didn't see any. It was actually during flying class that she had a revelation- if you go up in the air, on a broomstick, no matter how long your robe is, a short skirt is a wee bit revealing. She was suddenly being undulated by the attention of boys… many boys… boys from every house. She was also getting more than her fair share of negative attention from girls as well. Tracey Davis, a rather plain Slytherin girl, "accidentally" bumped into her and sent her books scattering in all directions. It backfired though when Blaise, who had been walking along side her, left Tracey to help Ginny pick up her books. Then he walked her to class! He was quite cute really. He had beautiful dark blue eyes, nothing like Draco's icy blue gaze. He was almost as tall as Draco was too. He didn't have the athletic body that Draco did, but it would do. His hair was long and dark black, with bluish-colored highlights- the total opposite of Dra…enough about Draco already, she chastised herself. She should be considering Blaise. He was the one sitting with her, telling her funny stories about Malfoy. All the other boys were finding them as funny as she was. She couldn't wait to ask Mr. Malfoy about one in particular. If she ever decided to talk to him again, even to give him a hard time.

Draco was itching to go over there and hurt someone. He counted heads and it was actually six someones he wanted to hurt, maim or kill. Whatever happened first was fine.

Harry felt him tense up and knew the feeling. He saw Blaise put an arm around her and Harry palmed his wand. Draco saw the defensive motion and seconded it. He would love nothing better than to use his stinging spell on his mate, Blaise, right now. He was thinking of hitting his arm and then moving to another body part for good measure.

The boys were just taking their first step forward when they heard Ron's unmistakable voice, "What in the bloody hell are you wankers doing with my sister?"

Draco eyed him cautiously, because it was quickly evident that he was in a real snit. He didn't know how well Ginny's potion had worked either. He thought briefly that it was too bad Myrtle hadn't flushed Ron down a toilet. Draco soon realized the red-haired young man's mood had nothing to do with him anyway. It was all about Ginny and her new suitors.

Ron already had his wand out and was waving it around like a raving lunatic. Draco eyed Harry; Harry eyed Draco… then they both put their wands away. It was unspoken but definitely out there, that it was much less embarrassing for them if they let Ginny's brother handle this one.

"I'm thirsty, Potter. Care to join me in the kitchen for a butterbeer?" Draco said in his lazy drawl.

"Ya know, Malfoy, usually I would have to pass up such an invitation but this evening I am feeling brave. Let's have several." The two boys left the room as Ron was letting his temper fly like a bludger. Draco and Harry made their way down the corridor and could still hear Ron's caterwauling when they reached the 'bowl of fruit' painting, which led to the kitchen. They toasted their first mug to 'big brothers.' By the end of the night, they had toasted many things, among them: the Ministry of Magic, the whomping willow and cauldron cakes.

"Harry, you look horrid today! If I didn't know better, I would say you have a hangover," Hermione said quietly, looking worried. "You sure you just had butterbeer?"

Harry looked up at the irritating voice and nodded for the tenth time, "Yes, but I must have had fifteen of them. Now, could you please quiet down and stop screaming in my ear."

Hermione snapped her mouth shut, but then had to add in, "Well, that's what you get for going carousing with Malfoy!"

Harry held his hands over his ears, "Actually, he wasn't so bad last night. It's hard to admit, but we had a decent time."

Ron rambled over then, he had his wand in one hand and his spell book in the other, "Mione, do you know a spell to permanently stick every zipper in this school closed?"

Hermione stared at Ron, "Don't you think that would make it kind of hard to go to the bathroom, Ronald?"

He looked stumped, "Yeah….can we stick every zipper except mine?"

She gave her head a little shake, "No, I don't think the Headmaster would much like to have his britches on for the rest of his days."

"Oh, yeah, okay." He mindlessly sat down and wordlessly thumbed through his spell book, apparently deep in thought.

Harry saw Draco enter the dining hall then, looking like he felt. He wasn't sure what Malfoy's attitude would be towards him today so he made eye contact and left it up to the other boy to take it from there. Surprisingly, Draco nodded at him and then motioned that his head was killing him. Harry nodded and held his, too. Draco went over to his table then and Harry went back to eating his breakfast.

Ron and Hermione exchanged looks, and then both started in on him at the same time: "What was that all about?"; "Like I don't have enough to worry about with Ginny, my best mate is befriending Malfoy?"; "Just what did you two do in the kitchen all night?"; "He's NOT spending the summer in the Burrow, Harry!"

Harry's face turned bright red, "Oh my god! You wanky pervs! We drank butterbeers till our eyeballs were swimming. We talked about quidditch, classes, girls (he was careful not to say Ginny was the only one they talked about in that category), and lots of other rubbish."

Hermione gave an offended, "OH!" and slapped him on his throbbing head, "Girls aren't rubbish, thank you very much!" Then she stormed off, leaving the boys speechless.

"There must be something in the pumpkin juice lately. This whole school is going mad." Ron said before he went back to his spell book looking completely dejected by the whole affair.

Ginny didn't go down to breakfast. She was still utterly humiliated from her brother's behavior last night in the common's room. Those poor boys took off like there was a fire lit under their bottoms. Blaise was the last one to leave. He stood up to Ron but when Ron threatened to hex him with a balding charm, he scampered off with just an apologetic look in her direction. Then to make matters worse, she had to sit there and listen to her brother give the birds and bees talk! Her _brother_, for Heaven's sake! He finally ran out of steam and she took that opportunity to hightail it to bed before he got his second wind.

She didn't know what the day was going to be like today. What she wouldn't give for those simple days of giant snakes and teenaged Voldemort bothering her. Those were the days, so much less stressful than overprotective brothers, weird platonic 'boy' friends, and hormone enraged blonds that had a penchant for betting on inappropriate things. She sighed heavily and trudged down the stairs. She chose to dress today in her best robes so at least she looked like a potato sack like everyone else in school. She didn't feel like standing out today. She didn't feel like standing at all actually and would have liked to have stayed lying in bed. She couldn't know then how much she would wish later that she had did exactly that.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

Early that same afternoon, Harry was watching for Ginny to come down to the Gryffindor common room. As soon as she got off the girls' stairway, he approached her.

"Uh, Ginny, could I talk to you for a second?" Harry asked looking very forlorn indeed.

"I don't think so." She tried to brush by him but he grabbed her wrist. She looked up at him to demand her release but the words stuck in her throat as she stared at his forehead.

"What?" Harry was used to people staring at the scar on his forehead but this was ridiculous. Ginny had known him for 7 years and it shouldn't be a freak show attraction to her anymore.

She tried to gather her wits by giving her head a shake, but it was still there. "Your head," she lamely got out, pointing to his forehead with her free hand.

"Yeah, I had this little accident when I was a baby…" Harry started in, looking quite put out by her.

She quickly interrupted though, "No, Harry, it's… it's different." She pulled him over to the mirror over the giant fireplace. On his forehead, scrawled right over the top of his scar, was the word "Brother."

Harry raised a hand and rubbed at the bright black letters. They didn't budge. He rubbed harder but to no avail; they looked just as bright. Ginny used her mother's favorite method of a quick clean up- she spit on a corner of her robe and fiercely wiped at the letters. No difference could be seen.

Harry looked at himself curiously in the reflection, "That wasn't there this morning."

Ginny stared at him in awe, "I watched it appear on your face after you grabbed me. It was like an invisible hand wrote it."

Harry gave it one more hard rub and then sighed, "Well, let's go ask Hermione about it."

The two students rushed down to the great hall where students were just beginning to gather for their noon meal. Hermione was sitting at their table, reading the Daily Prophet.

"Hermione?" Ginny said as they approached.

"Did you know that a snicklebeast was spotted in Hogsmeade? I swear the Daily Prophet is going downhill. It might as well change its name to the Daily Enquirer….HARRY! Who scribbled on your head?"

Just then, Blaise came up behind Ginny, sticking some wilted daisies in front of her. She reached out to take them and when their hands touched, she gasped in shock. The daisies hit the floor as "Pervert" scrawled across Blaise's perfect skin above his eyebrows.

Hermione stared at Blaise, then at Harry, and then back to Ginny with an expression of dawning horror. She grabbed up Neville as he walked by, talking to his toad, Trevor.

"Neville, would you pick those flowers up and give them back to Ginny?" she asked him politely. He obligingly bent down and retrieved the flowers for Ginny. He grinned at her shyly when she brushed his hand with hers. 'Friend' instantly appeared on his forehead in the same bold writing that graced the other two boys' faces.

Blaise looked at Neville with concern, and then he noticed Harry's word and immediately raised a hand to his own forehead. He rushed off then, holding his hand over his head as he left the room. Ron passed him in the hallway and smirked as he watched him practically run down the hallway. He was actually whistling a bouncy tune when he reached his friends.

"Hi there, Neville!" Ron gave him a hearty pat on the back after glancing at his face. He sat down by Harry, giving him a big grin. He started digging into the luncheon platters, which sat before them all on the sprawling tables.

All of aforementioned, except for clueless Neville, looked at Ron in utter amazement.

Hermione cleared her throat, "Umm, Ron, don't you notice something a little off with Harry this morning?"

Ron didn't even bother looking up from his pork chops and applesauce, "Nope, he looks great to me."

Ginny's eyes narrowed on her brother, "Ron, what have you done?"

He did look up then, and had a big grin to boot, "Nothing, why ever would you think that I had done anything?"

Ginny reached over and touched Justin Finch-Fletchley on the hand. When he turned in her direction, "Pervert" was written above his eyes. Ginny glared at Ron. He just went back to eating, humming while he chewed.

Harry grabbed his plate from under his nose, "How do I get this off?"

"That's the genius, Harry. If you aren't a wanker, it will fade in a few hours." Ron laughed and nodded his head in Justin's direction, "If you are, then you aren't going to be so lucky."

They all looked at Justin now as his classmates surrounded him with concern. They were all trying to get the word off his head. He was looking quite petrified and he quickly ran out of the hall in a panic. Ron started laughing aloud and seemed impervious to Hermione, Harry and Ginny's scowls.

Ginny began to have tears welling up in her eyes. It wasn't bad enough that she didn't have a real friend to her name, but now she was going to be shunned like a leper. She rushed out of the room, trying hard not to touch anyone. She ran down the hall and headed for the front doors. Draco was just coming up the dungeon stairs when he saw her run headlong into Colin Creevey. She cried out and ran out into the grounds. Draco sauntered over in that direction. When he passed Colin, he saw that someone had written on the boys face. It said "friend" clear as day on his forehead. The poor boy was so lonely he was placing a plea for a buddy on his own face. What a pity, Draco snickered and went out the heavy wooden doors in pursuit of his prey. He just barely caught a glimpse of Ginny as she ran around the corner of the building. It looked like she was heading to the lake, so he followed behind her as quietly as he could.

The sounds of sobbing reached him before he reached the shores of the lake. Ginny had her back up against a tree with her arms wrapped around her knees. Her face was buried in the robes on her lap.

"Ginny?" Draco approached cautiously, with a hand out to stroke her hair.

"NO! Don't touch me!" Ginny jumped up as if he was about to stab her with a hot poker.

His brows came together in frustration, "Really, Ginny! You know I didn't mean to hurt you…"

Before he could continue, she ran off screaming something about how he was never to touch her again. He sprinted after her and basically had to tackle her to the ground in a flying leap to catch her.

She lay facedown, under him, with her eyes closed tightly. She didn't want to see what his forehead said. She didn't need to be humiliated any further today. Draco eased up and flipped her around underneath him. She brought her hands up to cover her face and just lay trembling beneath his sprawled limbs.

"Ginny? What is going on? Why are acting like this? You know I wouldn't hurt you for heaven's sake." He tugged on her arms and pinned them over her head. If he were anyone but Draco Malfoy, he would have felt a bit guilty for straddling her in such a manner. However, the only thing that crossed his mind was that he desperately wanted to kiss some sense into her. Regardless of his successful capture, her eyes were still tightly clenched so he gently nudged her neck with his nose.

"Come on, look at me, Ginny," he prodded with a bit of a whine to his voice.

She eased open one eye, saw what was written on his head and then closed them tighter than before.

_Wait…did that say what she thought it did?_

She peeked with the other eye, and then opened them wide!

Draco was looking at her smugly, "There, that's better. I knew you would come around."

She smiled at him broadly, "Let me up, please. I am feeling _much_ better."

"Just a second, there's something I have to do first," he bent down then and captured her mouth with his. The kiss deepened of its own accord. He let loose of her hands and they wound around his neck. She parted her lips with a sigh and he took the opportunity to deepen the kiss further. She finally pulled away and marveled at how gorgeous he was. His eyes were partly closed and their smoky gray hue looked like storm clouds. He was breathing heavily, his chest rising and falling on top of her own. She could feel his heart beating a mile a minute.

"I'm hungry." Ginny flashed a dazzling smile, shoved him off and flounced toward the castle. He quickly caught up to her and spun her around a time or two. She laughed aloud and the sound was the sweetest thing he had ever heard. He didn't know what he done to get back into her good graces but he sure wanted to stay there. They returned to the castle hand-in-hand and almost to the point of happily skipping along.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

Ginny tugged Draco towards the Hogwart's Great Hall. There was a roar of a ruckus from behind the large oak doors. Draco looked a bit confused at all the commotion as Ginny swung open the door. All the students were talking ninety miles an hour while frantically checking their foreheads for writing.

Ron spied Ginny as she came in and focused immediately on her hand clasped with Draco's.

He pointed and shouted at the top of his lungs, "AHHHH HAHHHH! Look at his ferrety-forehead! I knew….it?" His eyes popped open wide and his slack jaw hit the floor, as the words on Draco's forehead permeated his beleaguered mind.

Ginny smiled smugly at him as she reached up and brushed Draco's silky silvery-blond hair aside so that could be no mistake to the words written there. Every eye in the common's room was riveted to a four inch section of skin above his silvery eyebrows.

"The One" was written in lovely script upon the young man's skin.

Ron's face turned ashen, then it turned beet-red and you could almost see the steam beginning to roll out of his ears like little side-ways nuclear blasts. Draco just looked sorely vexed by the whole affair. Why was all this attention being directed at his perfectly chiseled forehead? He absently rubbed at it but could feel nothing out of the ordinary on the surface of his impeccably smooth, Malfoy complexion. Then he remembered that the little camera freak Creeley kid in the hallway had something on his forehead. He flinched when he noticed Longbottom did as well. What was with all these "friend want ads" going around? He didn't have time to ponder it any longer because Weasley, the crazed lunatic brother of his fake girlfriend, was coming at him with his wand drawn and a murderous look in his eye.

Draco hurriedly pulled out his wand but before he could muster up an incantation Ginny had already taken care of the situation. Ron's wand was hurled through the air with the same ease that it had gone flying yesterday in the dungeon. Then he got to gleefully watch as Ginny started to give Ron the riot act up one side and down the other!

"Ron Weasley, you have caused quite enough trouble for one day, AND, look at what his head says! You can't deny what your own cockamamie spell is telling you! (Draco rubbed his head again at this remark and started to look for a mirror in trepidation) You are an egotistical pig and your big overprotective head has gone totally overboard this time! I can't believe…."

Draco could no longer concentrate on the words of the drama going on in the middle of the room. He was looking at his forehead in the reflection of a silver goblet. What did that say? The backwards letters were a bit distorted, but it definitely didn't say "friend." He was looking for something with a better reflection when a small compact was stuck a few inches in front of his aristocratic nose. He followed the arm and saw that it was attached to Her…Her, what was that goody-two-shoes name again? He called her so many names that her given one was escaping him at the moment.

"Thanks" he mumbled as he snatched up the compact and popped open the lid to see the little mirror inside. "The One"…what in the name of a diseased hippogriff did that mean? He stared at the letters and tried to wrap his mind around what they meant. He realized that Hermione, _oh yeah, that was her name_ he thought vaguely, was staring at him as though she was waiting for him to say something. Her brows were raised up so far they were almost touching that huge bush-mop that she had for hair. In addition to that lovely expression, her mouth was so slack she could have caught a bludger in it quite easily. She raised one brow even higher and motioned her head in the direction of the mirror. Yeah, he wasn't an imbecile; he could read, he just didn't have a clue…oh, wait. No, he immediately dismissed that thought. It didn't mean he was Ginny's "One" as in only, as in soul mate type-material and all that, did it? Of course it didn't.

He glanced across the room where Ginny had her nose practically pressed into Ron's. Her pretty face was flushed and her fists were clenched at her sides; one had a death grip on her wand. Her eyes flashed as she hurled insults at her brother and her hair whipped around like an enchanted living flame. He suddenly had a huge lump in his throat. His stomach felt like it did when he swooped really fast and low to catch a snitch. He realized that he wasn't breathing and found himself gasping for air. It was then he realized that that annoying mudblood was still staring at him. "The One" took off like bat out of hell, heading for the nearest exit without looking back.

Hermione was rooted to the floor as she watched Draco's mad dash out the back door of the hall. She didn't have a clue as to what was going through his mind, but judging by the expressions that had just passed over his face, he was terrified! She hadn't seen anyone look so stricken since Harry had lost Sirius. She glanced over at Ginny and saw that she was wrong. Ginny was watching Draco as his long strides carried him out of sight. Her face was so crestfallen that there was almost a tangible hurt emanating from her. Even Ron was suddenly quiet as he stood scuffing his toe against the marble floor.

Ginny quickly turned on her heel and left just as swiftly as Draco had, in the opposite direction. The trio was left in the great hall with nothing to do but shrug their shoulders at each other.


End file.
